Acura – Three Fun Facts

A Brief History of Acura

Today, there are a multitude of vehicle makes and models driving around. It is hard to imagine the time when there was only a few brands in the market. Honda began envisioning their luxury division of vehicles in the early 1980’s. It not be until 1984 that the name Acura was officially announced, however this was not going to be sold alongside popular Honda models. Acura was going to become a separation from the economic vehicles Honda produced at the time, and take on other luxury car manufacturers.

Acura – Behind The Name

The first thing that you did not know about Acura is that you are probably saying it wrong. When dealerships opened in 1986, the inspiration for the name came from the Latin word for “done with precision”. When Acura was first introduced it was pronounced “a-coor-uh”, but overtime “ah-cure-ah” became common place with more of a pleasant phonetic pronunciation. The American people loved the innovations in driving technology, giving Acura 52,869 cars sold in 1986, and 109.470 vehicles in 1987. This was the start Acura needed to break into the luxury car market.

Acura – Rise to the top

The second thing you didn’t know is that Acura quickly became a leader for other manufacturers. In 1987 both Nissan and Toyota opened their own luxury branches of the company. Then in 1989 the NSX was unveiled, bringing Acura to the forefront, not only of luxury cars, but now exotics as well. The NSX had a aluminum monocoque body, the first of its kind to be mass produced. It also was the first production engine with titanium rods and to have electronic variable valve timing and lift (VTEC®). This lead the way for more innovations, not only in luxury cars, but into other vehicle markets.

Acura – Award Leader

The third thing you didn’t know about Acura is that it continues to break records. Overtime it transformed from filling a niche to leading the industry, by introducing the second-generation of vehicles. In 2009, Acura became the first car company to ever receive Five-star crash safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and Top Safety pick honors from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), across the board, every model they had. Now with 30 years of innovation, engineering, and safety; Acura is the brand the will continue to impress you for years to come!